Fearless Soulmates: Mel B and Geri
by HALEY LOUISE
Summary: Their bond was untouchable, until it was. Rating will be adjusted as the story progresses.
1. Where are you?

Emma was devastated right away. She was sitting on the bed, knees pulled up to her chest, her face buried in her arms. Melanie C had her arm around her shoulders in a poor attempt to comfort her, but nothing could stop her from sobbing uncontrollably. Victoria was pacing down the hotel-room with a phone pressed against her ear, her eyebrows furrowed in a mix of anger and desperation, trying to ring Geri over and over again, knowing that she was not going to pick up. She stamped her heels on the floor in frustration when she was transferred to her voicemail again.

"What the fuck are you doing, Geri!" She exclaimed, looking over at Mel B, who was sitting in a fauteuil near the window with her legs hanging over the armrest.

Melanie C realized that she herself also kept looking in that direction, as if the both of them were expecting her to explode in anger any minute now, but her expression was unreadable.

"Emma is inconsolable and nobody knows where you are," Victoria went on, speaking louder with every word. "The least you can do is ring us back to let us know what the fuck is going on!" She was shouting now. She wasn't saying anything she hadn't said in the last 10 - actually, they stopped counting - voicemails, but what the fuck were they supposed to do?

Victoria hung up and threw the phone on the table, a distraught sigh escaping her mouth before a moment of silence overtook the room. The only sound came from Emma's soft sobs and Melanie's hand rubbing her arm. Victoria looked over at her and they had known each other long enough for Melanie to know what her eyes were asking her: why was Mel B so calm and when will the bomb burst? Any minute now, Melanie thought, looking at Mel, who was staring out of the window while playing with a string of her curls. But the truth was that you never knew with her.

"Now what?" Melanie C asked, breaking the silence.

Victoria reached for the phone again, but Mel B suddenly grabbed her wrist firmly to stop her.

"Fuck her." It was the first thing she had said in two hours, which Emma must have realized as well, because she stopped crying. Mel shot up. "Fuck her. We don't have time for this. We have a bloody show tonight. We have lines to redistribute and other shit to worry about, because it is going to happen with or without her, innit."

She was right, they all knew that, but that didn't stop them from looking at her in confusion. They didn't know exactly how they expected Mel to react to Geri's departure, but this wasn't it. She and Geri had always been the closest of the group. They could fight like there was no tomorrow, swearing and screaming at each other like crazy, and then make up two minutes later. It had always surprised the other girls how quickly they were able to forgive each other: they would literally scream at each other at the top of their lungs, swearing and sometimes even throwing things, but a while later they would be running around laughing uncontrollably, arm in arm as if nothing happened.

"Em, wipe your tears will ya," Mel said, standing in front of the blonde girl, but she herself wiped the tears of Emma's cheeks before she had the chance to do it herself and took her hands to pull her of the bed. Her plateau shoes made her a full head taller than Emma. She put her arms around her neck from behind and gave her a short squeeze. "Come on now," Mel said, firmly but comforting, before pushing her in the direction of the bathroom so that she could quickly clean herself up. "We have to move quick, all right? We have an entire show to reconstruct."

Victoria sighed. "I don't know where to start," she said, looking at Melanie and Melanie.

"Do you guys really think she won't be coming back?" Melanie C asked.

Mel B threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know, Mel." The words came out quickly and fast and semi-annoyed, as if she didn't want to think about the answer to that question. "And at this point I don't really care." Lies, they thought. Actually, they knew. "We really have to talk to the crew and staff and god knows who else," Mel B finally said.

"Why don't the two of you go ahead and meet with the crew," Victoria said, massaging her temples. Her head was hurting. She nodded her head in the direction of the bathroom. The door was half-open. Emma was standing in front of the mirror, wiping her tears, but her sobs were still hearable. "Emma and I will be down in a minute."


	2. Melanie's B-day

"Who is ready to partyyy?!" Mel B burst trough the door, kicking her foot in the air with a huge grin on her face. Jimmy followed her into Victoria's hotel room, threw an arm around her waist and gave her a slobby snog on the cheek.  
"Hello ladies," he said to Victoria and Melanie C.

They looked up from the mirror in which they sat in front of on the floor, both faking an enthusiastic smile. "Hello almost birthday girl," Melanie C said to Mel, who jumped on the bed and spilled some champagne in the process.

"Come on now Vicky, hurry up," Mel said when she noticed that Victoria was nowhere near dressed up and ready. "It's my birthday in - what," (she grabbed her boyfriend's arm to take a look at his watch) "36 minutes. You're not going to miss it now are ya?"

"I won't," Vicky reassured her, rubbing lotion on her legs. "Now get of my bed!"

"We're almost done," Mel C said. "Is Emma ready as well?"

Mel got of the bed and took a huge sip from her drink. "Is she in her room? I'll go check on her. See you in a minute, all right? Come on, pretty boy." She left the room and dragged Jimmy along with her, shutting the door with a loud bang.

Victoria and Melanie shared a look. No, they were NOT ready to party. The show had ended almost two hours ago, and they still hadn't heard anything from Geri. It had been an exhausting day and all they wanted to do was crawl into bed to sleep and have a good cry. But they couldn't do that to Mel, who was turning 23 and was determined not to let the situation ruin her birthday. As a matter of fact, she had rented out the hotel lobby and invited the entire crew and staff to celebrate her birthday with her.

"Let's just hope she doesn't want to go clubbing after," Victoria said, fully aware of the fact that Geri was Mel's partner in crime and clubbing partner. If they didn't feel like going out in the past, it was never a problem, because Geri was there to more than compensate their absence. But now, they would have to come, wouldn't they? It was her bloody birthday.

Melanie shook her head at the door Mel had just disappeared behind. "Can you believe her?" she asked, referring to Melanie's nothing is wrong attitude.

Victoria shrugged. "Well, I don't quite know what I expected. We all know what she is like."

"I expected anger. I expected her to be furious. To not shut up about it. Or cry even. I know she never cries, but I don't know. It's Geri we're talking about."

Victoria didn't even think of that last sentence as confronting. They all knew that Geri and Mel were each other's favorites. So, what Melanie meant was: it's not like one if us left, it's Geri, her to go to person for everything. So why isn't she going mental?

"She cried during the show, you know," Victoria said.

Melanie's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Victoria nodded in confirmation. "During Viva Forever. Jimmy said he saw tears."

Melanie let out a sad sigh. Geri wrote most of that song. "I think we were all struggling at that point. I know I did. I just can't believe it, ya know."

Victoria walked over to her closet. "Have you ever given the lyrics much thought?" she asked while holding a black dress in front of herself. "This one?"

Melanie gave her face a final touch and started collecting her make up. "Of course I did." She looked up. "Yeah, you look bloody amazing in that one."

Victoria zipped the dress open. "No I mean, have you ever _really_ listened to the words?"

Melanie squeezed her eyes together in confusion.

"_Feelings unfold, they will never be sold, and the secret's safe with me," _Victoria quoted.

Melanie looked at her friend in silence. She stared right back at her, as if she was waiting for something to click. Waiting for the realization to kick in. "Are you saying-"

Victoria nodded before Melanie could finish the sentence. "I'm saying it's about Melanie," she said. "A hundred percent. And Mel knows it."

"Fuck sake," Melanie said. She stared into nothing. "You really think so?"

"The first verse alone, is really applicable to their bond, ya know what I mean? _Feeling together, believing whatever, both of us were dreamers_," she started to sum up. "Can you zip me up?"

Melanie got up and walked towards Vicky as the first verse automatically popped up in her mind, Emma's soothing voice wavering:

_Do you still remember_  
_How we used to be_  
_Feeling together_  
_Believing whatever_  
_My lover said to me_  
_Both of us were dreamers_  
_Young love in the sun_  
_Felt like my saviour_  
_My spirit I gave ya_  
_We'd only just begun_

_"_I mean, it could be," Melanie agreed, a bit stunned.

They all knew something was going on between the two of them. It wasn't a secret that Geri and Mel had a special connection: it was common knowledge within the group, but it was never clear to what extend it was feeling-wise, and also it was not something that was continuous. It had happened gradually and had started when they all lived together. Back then it was just a fun, thoughtless thing; a result of them both being so alike, so fearless and free spirited that they were just drawn to each other in a way. They were sleeping in the same bed, going out together every weekend while the rest of the group went back home to see their families, and they just were crazy together, you know?

"But do you think it was that deep?" Melanie asked.

"I don't know. I've never been able to keep up with whatever it is that they have. Or had. Because we all know they weren't getting along as well as they used to lately." Victoria looked at herself in the mirror and sprayed some perfume on her wrists. "Are you ready?"

They passed Emma's room to see if she was still there, but she had already gone downstairs. They entered the lobby around 11:50, just in time.

"Bloody hell, did she invite the entire hotel?" Melanie C asked. The lobby was packed with a lot more people than they had expected and there were a lot of unfamiliar faces.

"There she is," Victoria said. Melanie turned her head. There she was indeed. The both of them let out a small sigh.

She was standing on top of one of the tables, her big hair bouncing along the rhythm of the music as she poured vodka in the mouths of people that had gathered around her. She laughed enormously and placed the bottle on her own lips to finish it before waving to one of the waiters, holding the empty bottle up in the air.

This was promising.


	3. Say You'll Be There

Flashback - 1995

"Melanie? Are you awake?" Geri whispered.

Melanie was laying on her side, not facing Geri, and she had almost drifted off to sleep. She considered not responding. She was really tired and once they started talking, neither of them would be able to shut up again for at least another hour. She knew that out of experience. Just when she decided to keep her mouth shut and let herself fall to sleep, she heard something that made her eyes snap open immediately. It was a soft, suppressed sob. She lay completely still, holding her breathe as she listened for another two seconds, just to be sure. But there was no doubt about it.

Geri was crying.

"Hey," Mel said softly, but raw and husky as always. Damn, she had always sucked at whispering. She turned on her other side. It was completely dark, but she knew Geri well enough to know that she had turned her tear streaked face away from hers. She was laying on her stomach, face turned the other way, but somewhere in the dark, Mel could see her shoulders were slightly shaking.

This is why Geri asked her if she was awake. Not because she wanted her to wake up, she wanted the opposite: to make sure that she was in fact sleeping, so that it was safe to cry, alone, in the secret of the night.

Melanie scooped closer to her, lifted herself on her elbow and put her other arm around Geri's shoulders. She gave her a gentle, comforting squeeze. "Do you miss your dad?"

A slow nod was followed by two louder sobs with a shorter interval. Her sadness was palpable. Mel rested her head on Geri's shoulder and tightened her grip around her, which only made her tears flood faster.

"It's really unfair, isn't it," Mel sighed. "That you have to miss him." She could feel Geri nodding her head again, lost for words, but wanting her to know that she agreed.

Today it was exactly two years ago since Geri's father passed away. She had talked about his passing a lot, but mostly on the weekends in which they were alone: just her and Melanie. They would blast loud music and dance around the house, topless, while getting ready to go out, both knowing that the two of them would once again make a dangerous combination in the pub and be taking over the entire place a few hours later.

It was mostly during the pre-drinks that followed those energetic preparations when the deep conversations took place. They would sit at the dinner table in the small kitchen, classic songs on the background, so consumed in the conversation that bread and chips were enough to still their hunger. They were broke anyways and kept the good stuff for later that night, when they would return home. Food tasted better when you were smashed out of your mind anyways, right?

They would talk about their childhood, their families, their relationships and experiences. About the meanings of life, the other girls, and with each evening and each drink, they would slowly let down their barriers more and more and talk about things that weren't meant to be discussed in day light or superficial company. Their fears, regrets (even though that subject always started with Melanie saying that she "does not regret anything!") and the things that made them cry.

It had taken quite a few of those nights for Geri to open up about her father. It wasn't as if she had never mentioned it before: of course all the girls knew about it, and they also knew she was hurting, but that was a quiet understanding, a logic conclusion. They didn't _see_ it. Her enormous laugh, bright eyes and bubbly personality made it easy for them to forget about the fact that she actually was still hurting about her dads passing. Geri would only talk about it in a matter-of-fact kind of way. Really controlled and managed, almost like a spokesperson.

So, when Geri finally showed the way she felt on that first night, it wasn't weird that they both cried. Maybe it was mostly due to the alcohol that they were feeling more sentimental and the music seemed sadder than usual, making their chests feel uncomfortable, like something was aching, but it teared a wound open. A deep wound that Geri had tried to cover up so long, hoping that it would just heal if she wouldn't show it the world, that it hurt like hell when that tightly wrapped bandage finally came off. It was a deep, raw, almost consuming wave of sadness that overcame her, dragging Mel along in the process of drowning her.

Melanie thought back to that evening as she lay there, holding her in silence, slowly running her hand up and down Geri's arm, as her desolated tears slowly dripped onto her pillow, one by one.

"I won't forget about it, ya know," Melanie spoke slowly. "That it still hurts. It doesn't matter how many years pass by, really. If it's two or five. I will remember and I will be here."

Geri shifted on her back, pinning her eyes on Melanie, who - due to the darkness - couldn't see that underneath the sadness in her eyes, there was also a split second of surprise.

"I can't believe you remember what day it is," Geri said, her voice throaty from the sobs.

Melanie shifted her head on her own pillow, but was still holding her. "You told me about it you bullock."

A small, teary chuckle. "But that was months ago and you were hammered," Geri specified.

Melanie smirked. "It is quite impressive that I remember isn't it? I couldn't even remember our address that night."

"You threw up in your own bloody mouth."

Melanie couldn't suppress a laugh and Geri couldn't help but laugh along with the contagious sound, her cheeks still wet from the tears.

"Remember when we ran out of the cab without paying? That's such a shitty thing to do," Mel said with a mix of shock on her face. "God, that's not all right."

"What's not all right is you flashing your tossers at the man before taking off."

Another outburst of laughs. "Fuck off Geraldine, I took one for the team. He wasn't getting paid, I had to compensate for you spending all or money on tequila."

"Fair enough then."

They chuckled and Geri took a deep breathe, wiping her eyes.

"You all right?" Mel asked on a more serious note, looking at Geri's face. Her eyes were getting used to the dark.

"I'll be fine," she replied. "It sometimes just hits me, ya know."

Mel nodded in understanding. They snuggled a bit closer. It was weird, they both normally didn't really like sleeping with another person in the bed. They needed space in every meaning of the word, they demanded it in every aspect of their lives, especially when they were together. Their personalities were so strong that their presence in a room was overwhelming. But after the other girls saw no other option then to split Mel and Mel (the two of them sharing a room really was a threat to national security), Geri offered Mel a place in her double bed so that the both of them could cool off. It was meant to be temporarily, but after a few nights it just stuck. They never talked about it, but Mel never went back to her old room. A lot of the times they didn't need words to communicate, as if they could read each other's mind. And it was surprisingly nice to snuggle now and then. It was like they were a team, two girls with the same dreams in life. Not only during the day, but also during the night. Every night they talked about their future, strategically planning how to reach their ultimate goals, just before drifting of to dream the same dream, often with their arms tangled together.

Geri closed her eyes. "Good night. And thanks for making me laugh you twat."

"Shut up. You laughed _at_ me."

"I can't help it that you are completely mad for it."

Mel shot up in protest. "You are one to talk! Do you remember when you-"

"Shut up!" Geri playfully pushed Mel's head back down on her pillow.

"We are equally mad," Mel said, her finger up to make sure they had an understanding.

"I think you beat me at it. But that's why I tolerate you."

It was quiet for a moment.

"We are gonna make it, ya know," Mel said, staring at the ceiling, eyes filled with hope and believe. "You and me against the fucking world."

It was as if she took a peek at the future. Geri smiled, following Melanie's gaze to see what she was seeing. "World domination. Nothing less," she said.


	4. Fancy a Snog?

1995

Mel B and Geri were actually the last ones to snog. Mel had snogged the other girls before her. Believe it or not, her first victim was actually Melanie C.

Melanie C had loads of friends in Sidcup and often went there on the weekends. The party's were mad. One of her friends, Derek, was throwing a house party one Saturday and invited Melanie and all the girls to come. "Especially that mad girl," he had said to Melanie C the weekend before. "Make sure to bring the mad girl."

The mad girl was how he and a few other mates referred to Mel B, who they had developed a crush on. She laughed when Melanie told her about her nickname. She had made quite the impression a few weeks before, when Melanie brought her along to go clubbing in Sidcup. Geri had to go home for her moms birthday that weekend and Emma and Victoria were also going to visit their families. That night she drank all the guys under the table and convinced a group of hot girls to do body shots with her on the bar. It was such a laugh.

So off they went that Saturday. Victoria didn't come: she had to head back home that weekend, but Mel B, Geri and Emma were up for a fun night, especially since they had worked so hard the last couple of weeks. They were getting really annoyed with Chris and Bob, who kept telling them that they were not ready for a contract yet. Their parents were starting to bug them as well, asking them how long it would take and when they were finally going to start making some money.

They promised each other to not hold back that night. "I don't want to hear any of you talk about how smashed I was tomorrow morning!" Geri said on their way over to Sidcup. "If you remember weird shit I've done in the morning, it's your own fault! Then you weren't smashed enough."

Emma, Mel and Mel kept their word and it didn't take long until they were tipsy. After two hours Geri was actually the one that was the most sober. Emma was the most hammered out of the four of them. They were dancing with a bunch of people when Emma noticed two girls at the couch, shamelessly necking on, completely focused on one another.

She gasped in amazement. "O my god, look!" she exclaimed, tapping the other girls on their shoulders to point it out. "They are snogging." Giggles.

They all looked over, a bit curious and intrigued, but Mel B wasn't impressed. Not the slightest. In fact, she was standing right next to the two girls when Emma noticed them. Mel didn't even look twice when she passed them on her way back to the girls, juggling beer cans in her arms.

"What?" she asked when she saw Emma and Melanie C stare at something behind her.

Geri smirked and threw her arms around Emma's shoulders. "They're just shocked because they've never seen two girls neck on before," she said to Mel, giving her a wink.

Mel B let out one of her gigantic laughs and exchanged a look with Geri. Emma truly felt like their little sister sometimes. "Now don't tell me that none of you have ever snogged a girlie," Mel said dryly as she handed them the beers. It wasn't until three pairs of startled eyes looked at her that she realised that they hadn't. "Are you taking the piss!" she shouted, clearly amused.

"I haven't!" Melanie C said, a funny smile on her lips. "I really have never done that!"

Melanie then looked at Geri. "No!" Geri laughed.

"Oh fuck off Geri, you're full of shit!"

"I swear!"

Emma's continuous chuckles made it unnecessary to even ask. She obviously had never snogged a girl.

Mel B shook her head. "For God sake."

"So you have then?" Geri asked amused. She was actually stunned that they hadn't covered this subject earlier. The two of them talked about everything, how could they have missed this?

"Yeah," Mel shrugged. "What's the big deal?"

"So you liked it then?" Melanie C asked.

"Sure, why not?"

"Em, you got to stop staring," Geri said with a grin. Mel B smiled at her big, curious gaze as she took a sip of her beer.

"But they are really going for it!" Another giggle.

"That's it, come here you," Melanie said cheekily, trying to grab Emma's face.

"Nooooooooo!" she proclaimed, not able to contain her laughter as Melanie pulled her towards her.

"Geri, hold my beer!" Melanie roared dramatically, spilling it as she handed it to her.

"GO GET HER MEL!" Geri cheered.

"Melanie!" Emma squealed, turning her face away.

"Come on Em, I know you want it," Mel said, holding her face between two hands. But Emma was keeping her lips sealed together, which was quite impressive, seen the fact that she couldn't stop giggling.

"Fine! I give up!" Mel B finally said as she let her go. She was laughing. Just when Emma thought she was safe, Mel grabbed her again and licked her cheek. Geri and Mel laughed at her reaction. It was almost endearing.

"How you doing ladies?" Derek had turned up behind Melanie C. He was without doubt really handsome. Big, green eyes stared into Mel B's over Mel's C shoulders. "What now, are you're into girlies?" he asked Mel B with a naughty smile. He smirked and looked at Mel C, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Who knew we would have to compete over her," he said to her with a wink.

"Compete?" Melanie C asked laughing, but a bit nervous. People had noticed the situation and a few of them were looking at them, trying to follow what was happening.

"Who's it gonna be, Mel?" Derek asked Melanie B. "Me or her?"

He was trying to be funny.

"Are you joking?" Mel B asked.

Geri saw where this was going before anyone else did. Mel suddenly took two steps towards them and harshly pushed Derek's arm away while pulling Melanie closer to her at the same time. Without warning, she cupped Melanie's face with two hands and fiercely pressed her lips on hers without hesitation. Melanie C was so overwhelmed and taken aback by Melanie's sudden move that she just went along with it: she parted her lips almost automatically when Melanie's tongue demanded it. The lads that had gathered around them were going insane, jumping up and down and roaring in excitement. Emma was just staring, her hands covering her mouth, as Geri burst into laughter and clapped.

When Mel B finally broke the kiss, she glanced at Derek and said: "Her over you every minute of every day, mate."


	5. Fun and Games

1995

Geri could feel Mel's soft curls in the crook of her neck as Mel put her head on her shoulder. The two of them were sitting in the back of a cab, on their way back to the house. The driver had tried to have a little chat with them at first, but a smashed Mel B was even more outspoken than a sober one. "Can you shut up mate," she had said. It didn't even sound rude coming from her. Geri smirked when she heard the words come out of her mouth: a 100 percent serious, but her tone polite. She could get away with a lot of things, this girl. So now they were just driving in silence.

Geri leaned into Melanie. Her hair smelled nice. She was a little tipsy herself. "Are you sleeping?" Geri asked softly. She couldn't see Mel's eyes, but she expected them to be shuttered close.

Melanie slightly shook her head. "No, but I'm hammered," she moaned. "Vicky is a good snog, you know," she said. She suddenly shot up. "Why don't you want to snog me?" she flat out asked, her brown eyes a bit dazzled from the alcohol, but still staring intensely, demanding an answer.

Geri grinned at Mel's face, who was really close to hers. She looked so drunk, but still gorgeous. She could barely sit up, one of her hands was resting on Geri's leg in order for her to keep  
herself sit up straight. "Not this again," Geri sighed out.

"You're the first person ever to reject me you know," Melanie said, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and disappointment, like a child.

"It's for your own good," Geri smirked.

"Why?"

"You'll never be satisfied again after snogging me!"

Geri laughed at her comment, but Melanie was so drunk that she actually seemed to think about what Geri just said, her face still confused. "Really?" she then asked, a curious smile appearing. "You know what, I actually believe ya."

Geri tilted her head back in laughter. "Shut up, you bloody idiot."

Melanie let herself sink back into position and cuddled up again. She always got more cuddly when she had alcohol running trough her veins. "I don't get it. I know you're curious," she said, playing with her ring. "Right?" She blew in Geri's face as she turned her head.

"Can you stop making so much fuzz about it! God, Mel, your breath." The intense smell of alcohol filled Geri's nostrils.

"You must be," Mel continued to herself, completely ignoring Geri. "But now you will never find out, now will ya," she decided out loud.

"Why not?"

Again, Melanie shot up. "Well you can't go off snogging other girls!" she declared, wildly motioning with her hands. "If I can't neck on with you they surely can't."

Geri just couldn't stop laughing at Melanie, who was looking at her in all seriousness, almost angry at the idea that if Geri was ever going to kiss another girl, it wouldn't be her. But as Geri's laugh kept going, her face softened and she chuckled along.

"Come on you," Geri said when they arrived. "Let's get you in bed."

It had become a little, silly thing the girls would do once in a while while being tipsy: snog each other just for fun. Mel had tried to kiss Geri a few times, but they never did. The first time she tried it, Geri had cheekily avoided it from happening. "It will be weird!" It had came out before she realized it. She didn't understand why at first. Melanie was really attractive. Attractive in a way that Geri had never experienced towards another woman. So it was not that she thought it would be a bad experience. It actually bugged her that Mel and the other girls would make out, because Mel was her girl, always had been from the first day she met her. It felt weird that the other girls shared something with Mel that she didn't. But it was her own fault. She had put herself in this position and it took a while before she could in all honesty admit to herself why she did that. The truth was that she wanted to kiss Mel so badly, that that in fact was the reason that she didn't want to kiss her. Not like that.

For the other girls and Mel, it was something thoughtless, something funny, just friends having a laugh. But Geri felt such a physical attraction towards Mel, that it almost felt like it would be dishonest to neck on with her, without her knowing that she felt that way. She would feel on display with the other girls watching them, cheering them on. And then there was the part where she felt a bit self conscious, which really annoyed her about herself. It was completely out of character for her, but she couldn't help but imagine the worst scenario, being that Mel would think she sucked at kissing. It was really stupid. Geri knew how to make out. She knew she was actually pretty damn great at it: she knew how to make men go crazy for her. But she couldn't shake the feeling off.

She had watched her neck on with the others. It wasn't sexual, but there was something dominating about the way she kissed. And she looked great while doing it.

After the party in Sidcup, Mel told Geri about her past experiences with women. It was during her summer in Blackpool, where she worked as a dancer. They spoke about Blackpool often: it was fun to talk about, because Mel had gone pretty wild during that period of her life. She said that she necked on with a few girls on a houseparty while playing spin the bottle, just for fun, but that there was one particular girl that she had a little girl crush on.  
"I just felt attracted to her," Mel had explained. "She was stunning. I made it my mission to  
snog her."  
"Did you succeed?" Geri had asked.  
"Of course!" Mel had yelled, almost offended. "We even got a bit touchy feely. But it was just once. I lost interest after that."

Little did Geri know that she herself had now become that girl in Blackpool that Mel told her about.


	6. Let's test this taste

1995

It wasn't until weeks later that Mel finally succeeded.

She had taken Geri back home to Leeds for the weekend. Geri had already been there a couple of times. In fact, the both of them hadn't spend a weekend away from each other in months. Mel had asked her to tag along for Charlotte's birthday. Charlotte was Melanie's best friend and Geri met her a few times. She really liked Charlotte's personality. That wasn't surprising - how could she not? Melanie was crazy about her, and Mel and Geri were so in sync that it was almost impossible for one of them to dislike someone whom the other adored. Not because they wanted to please each other, but because they were so much alike that they were attracted to the same people. Geri figured that the same thing must apply to Charlotte, who was friendly to her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Charlotte wasn't ecstatic about her prominent role in Mel's life, which she actually understood. Maybe it was all in her head, but it made sense. Mel and Charlotte grew up together and had been best friends for years. It must be hard to have your best friend move into a house with 4 other girls and see them becoming such a huge part of her life in no time. Geri could imagine that Charlotte wanted Melanie for herself on the rare occasions that she returned to Leeds. She actually knew that feeling: she liked to spend time alone with Melanie as well.

So when Mel asked Geri to come, she hesitated. "Why?" Mel had asked. "What are you going to do then? You'll be home alone for the entire weekend." That was true, because the others were leaving as well and Geri didn't feel like going to her moms. The two of them hadn't been getting along that well for the past couple of weeks. Mel and Geri had slowly developed the habit of aligning their weekends. If one of the girls would ask one of them what they were going to do this weekend, they would say: "I don't know what Geri's doing" or "Not sure. Mel, what are you going to do?" If one of them was staying, the other would join in. And on the few occasions that Mel had obligations to go back to Leeds, she would take Geri with her. Melanie had visited Geri's mom as well.

So Geri finally agreed to come, but only after Mel had convinced her that Charlotte would love her to join. She didn't actually know if that was true, but she was being selfish. She would be bored out of her mind if she would stay back in Maidenhead with nobody to have a laugh with. So that Friday night they went over to Charlotte's house together and joined the group to the pub later that night.

They weren't even that drunk when the fight started. And for once, Mel and Geri weren't fighting with each other. Geri got into an argument with the bartender, which ultimately lead up to him making a nasty comment about her tits hanging out and calling her a "bloody slag" and asked her how much he had to pay her for a quick blow-job. Even though Mel had been going to this particular pub for years and was friendly with the guy in question, who in fact was Charlotte's ex boyfriend, she immediately went for him once he dropped the comment. It escalated really quickly: drinks were thrown, harsh insults were exchanged, glasses where shattering, and within seconds there were over 7 people involved in the chaos. Geri remembered beer stinging in her eyes, someone harshly pulling her hair, Melanie almost jumping over the bar to throw a punch at the bloke, and especially a few of Mel's friends shouting: "MELANIE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

It didn't take long for them to be escorted out. Geri didn't resist: she felt ashamed of the situation and wanted to remove herself out of it, even though she hadn't even been unreasonable. But Melanie was fuming, especially since she knew the security guard who had firmly wrapped his fingers around her lean upper arms as he escorted them out, and she made sure that he knew about it. Once they were outside, the guard insultingly said: "Go back to being a wannabe pop star, Brown. Don't show your face again."

And then he said something racist.

Geri didn't know what came over her. Maybe it was her unconscious gratitude towards Mel for having her back, even in her home town, or maybe it was the adrenaline, but it was an inner rage she had never experienced before. A rage impossible to swallow or ignore, as if something possessed her, and it resulted in an unexpected reflex: suddenly, the lad's face was covered in spit. Her spit.

Geri froze as the delayed realisation hit her. The way his eyes squinted petrified her. They were burning in anger, his face dripping in disgust, and everything went red: his face, his neck, everything. She could feel her mouth go dry and then the flight or fight instinct kicked in. If she would have thought about it in a reasonably manner, the logic conclusion would have been that he probably wouldn't take a swing at them. Of course he wouldn't. But she had no intention of finding out what he would do instead. Every inch of her body was screaming at her to get out of there as fast as possible.

So, when she was able to move again, she quickly turned around and took a run for it. She knew that Mel would follow. She followed her pace without complaint. Geri internally cursed her heels as she increased her pace. They could hear him shouting at them behind her, which only motivated them to speed up even more, their hearts pounding in their chest as nervous chuckles erupted from their mouths. "Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!" Once Mel surpassed her, Geri could hardly keep up, but they ran like their lives were depending on it until they made it to the end of the street.

"YOU SPAT IN HIS BLOODY FACE!" Mel shouted when they finally slowed down around the corner. They stopped and let themselves fall against the wall of a building to catch their breath.

"I know," Geri said, her voice shaking, in shock about what she had just done. She felt a giggle building up inside her and she covered her mouth with her hands to prevent it from coming out.

She failed. One look at each other was enough to make them erupt into laughter. A thunder of throaty laughter mixed with desperate gasps for air echoed down the abandoned street until it eventually turned into nervous snorting noises. They stared at each other in terror as they stood there, pupils dilated and trembling from the adrenaline rush, not being able to wrap their minds about what had just happened. Not only with the security guard, but also what had taken place inside the pub. They got into a bloody bar fight.

They were panting as the cold air brushed against their flushed cheeks, a street light flickering above them. It was in that moment that Geri suddenly became very aware of how close they were standing towards each other, and she noticed how Melanie's liquid brown eyes lit up in time with the blinking street light, which shed a dimmed, almost orange light on them in between uncertain intervals of darkness. It was in one of those short moments of total absence of light that their faces drew closer to each other. Maybe it was Mel who moved closer, maybe it was Geri, or maybe they both leaned in: all Geri knew was that it happened spontaneously, in no more than a second, and that they were suddenly so close that she could feel Melanie's hot, minty breath brush against her lips, creating a tingly sensation in contrast with the coldness of the night.

Maybe it was the adrenaline running trough their veins, or the shock of the rate in which everything had escalated, but there was no decision making, no thinking when Geri felt Mel's full lips press against hers, soft and cold, almost as cold as the tips of their noses. It just happened. Their lips touched gently in the first millisecond, a bit hesitant even, but the kiss rapidly deepened as they both sunk into each others lips, their breathes still a bit unsteady. Mel had a way of kissing that was determinant and passionate and Geri didn't resist when she felt Mel's tongue brush against her lower lip, asking for permission. She parted her lips immediately and then their tongues met and swirled around each other. The hotness of their mouths was causing a warm wave to run trough their bodies. Geri hadn't even noticed that Mel had put her hand on her cheek, she had been too focused on other aspects: the feeling of their soft tongues, dancing; the sound and shallow rhythm of their breathing; the heat radiating from Mel's cheeks. She only realized her hand had been there when she felt how she removed it. Geri shivered at the touch when Mel lowered her hand to her shoulder and gently ran it down the full length of her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind on her cold, bare skin. There was something playful and experimental about it, but the way they touched each other revealed the urge to pull each other closer. The kiss was consuming and filled with desire, which betrayed another motive: a more sexual one. It was the silent, shared lust and attraction that had been building up for quite some time now. But apart from that it was meaningful in another way: it was almost an expression of a sincere form of gratitude for each other. The kiss evidenced the special connection they shared as friends. It was a bond that - right in that moment - felt truly unbreakable. Geri felt Melanie's soft lips curl into a smile against her mouth, and she knew why. She could already hear her voice beaming with proud: I TOLD YOU I WOULD GET YOU TO DO IT.

"MELANIE! WHERE ARE YOU?" The voice was unexpected and pulled them back to reality with massive force. They broke the kiss and pushed each other away, hard, almost in a panic, as if creating distance between them would erase all trails of whatever it was that had just happened.

"Fuck! Charlotte," Melanie hissed, suddenly remembering all the craziness that had lead to their retreat. She quickly moved around the corner. "Char!" she yelled. "We're over here!"

Geri was still standing with her back against the wall, dazzled, but quickly pulled herself together to follow Melanie, who was now walking back in the direction they came from. Charlotte's silhouet was slightly noticeable in the distance. "Bloody hell, did we run all this way?" Geri thought out loud.

"What the fuck was that?" Charlotte asked reproachfully when they met half-way down the street. Thank god, she had taken their jackets from the pub.

"I'm sorry, I don't even know what happened," Geri started rambling. "I didn't mean to stir up your birthday like that, but that lad behind the bar - he said something - I wanted to let it go, I really did, but Melanie -"

"I'm sorry Char, but I would have done the same for you," Mel simply stated as she took her jacket and quickly put in on.

"Before I knew it we were in this full blown bar fight, ya know what I mean?" Geri continued, "I don't even know where those other people came from, it all happened so quickly -"

"Don't worry about it," Charlotte said. She handed Geri her coat. "Jack has always been a bit of an arse. But why did you guys take off like that and ran all this way?"

Geri didn't exactly know how to answer that: spitting a grown man in the face was not one of her proudest moments, even though he deserved it. She tilted her head to look at Melanie for back up. And that's when she saw it.

Her heart stopped. A sudden, almost uncontrollable outburst of nervousness hit her as she quickly looked back at Charlotte. It was too late: she had already noticed. She was staring at it, her face torn with conflict and confusion, and then, when her eyes shifted back to Geri, a gleam of sudden insight.

Melanie's lower lip was smudged with trails of red lipstick.

_Geri's_ lipstick.

Melanie had picked up on what was happening, she had seen it in both of their eyes. Eyes she knew down to a T. They were just standing there as the silence fell, an odd air of awkwardness between the three of them, until Melanie opened her mouth.

"We had to run because Geri decided to spit in Rudy's face."

Silence.

"And... after that, she spat in yours as well?"

Geri and Melanie stared at Charlotte, a look of shocked surprise on their faces. But Charlotte was grinning, as if she was trying to fight off the urge to laugh, or maybe because she simply didn't know what else to do. Melanie wanted to say something cheeky, something to downplay the obvious, but she had lost the sharpness of her tongue. And that was saying everything.

Geri laughed. Boom. She threw it in strategically. "My lipstick is strawberry flavoured, do you wanna have a go as well, Char?" She moved closer to Charlotte and pouted her lips.

It was terrible. A terrible attempt to surpass the moment.

"DO IT! It tingles. I just tested it." Mel had found her voice again and turned Charlotte's arms behind her back, holding her captured. "Go on then, Geri!"

Charlotte laughed, but she couldn't have missed that split second in which Melanie was lost for words.

Geri snogged her on her cheek and then Melanie let her go. "You really are just as mad as Mel, aren't ya," Charlotte told Geri, shaking her head, but still laughing.

"Impossible. Come on, let's go to the next pub," Mel said, linking arms with both Geri and Charlotte. She started walking in an enthusiastic pace, determined to give Charlotte the birthday banter she deserved.

"Are the others still inside?" Geri asked, slightly worried. "I'm not going back in there."

"As if they would let us," Mel said with a smirk. She gave Geri a meaningful squeeze in her arm. "Where did you get that lipstick?" she asked, showing of her master poker face. "I really like the taste of it."


	7. And?

**Authors Note: So we're going to stick around in 95 a bit longer than I initially intended, but I like to see their bond develop a bit more in the beginning. Hope you all don't mind! Of course we'll eventually move on. Let me know what you think in the comments. Also, English is not my first language, so feel free to suggest improvements, especially on UK slang/words. I'm not that familiar with those and I would really like to capture their tone.**

1995

"So how touchy touchy did you get exactly?" Geri asked a few weeks after their first snog. She just now remembered what Mel had told her earlier.

Melanie looked up from her magazine. She was browsing through the pages without actually reading them. "With who?"

Geri was now standing in front of the tiny mirror hanging on the wall in their shared room, a short towel wrapped around her body. She had just gotten out of the shower. She glanced in the mirror to lock eyes with Melanie as she dried her hair. "With the Blackpool girl, of course."

Melanie smirked. She turned around on the bed to lay down on her stomach, slightly tilting her head. "Why do you must know, Geraldine?"

Geri sat down on the chair next to the bed. "Don't go all mysterious on me, you twat," she said, grabbing her moisturizer. "Just tell me."

Mel shrugged. "It was nothing, actually. I didn't even get to see her boobs."

"But you touched them?" Geri asked teasingly, her eyes widening in amusement.

"It was all quite puberal, you know what I mean? She was a bit older than I was, though."

"But did you feel her fucking boobs!"

"YES! God," Melanie said. "They were good boobs, too. But nothing more. It was just a bit of - well - grinding and feeling up on each other. Quite innocent. Just two horny, drunk kids experimenting."

"So?" Geri asked curiously, not taking her eyes off Melanie as she rubbed her legs in lotion.

"So what?"

Geri rolled her eyes. "So what did you conclude out of those experiments!"

Melanie laughed and seemed to think about it for a second. "I'm not sure actually."

"How can you not know? You either liked it or you didn't."

"Well," Melanie said, making her voice sound posh, "I haven't gathered enough information to give a final conclusion, miss."

Geri laughed at her tone. She was talking as if she was giving a press conference on a groundbreaking research paper. She stood up, shook her head and walked over to her drawer to grab some underwear. "So what you're saying is, you're not done experimenting then?"

"I don't know," Mel said. "Never say never. I'm a _free spirit._" She emphasized that last word, just to sound more dramatic and less serious.

"So you would be open for it?" Geri asked, not letting Mel's attempt of making a semi-joke out of it throw her off.

Melanie's eyes squinted slightly. "You do seem fairly interested in this, Geraldine. Would _you_?"

Geri was still standing in front of the closet with her back turned to Melanie, when she thoughtlessly dropped her towel to step into her panties.

"Maybe," Geri said, shrugging. "I mean, everybody has fantasies about the same sekse. Right?" She turned around, still topless, and pointed at her breasts. "Don't tell me you've never fantasized about these."

Melanie shattered in laughter. "Oh, you wish!"

"Don't lie to me, Brown." Geri joke-fully jiggled her boobs as she jumped on the double bed.

"You're still wet! Get off!"

"_You_ get off," Geri said as she slid underneath the covers.

Emma appeared in the doorframe. "What are you guys talking about?" She crawled on the bed to lay down in between them.

"Oh, nothing," Geri said. "We're just talking about how Melanie shagged a girl in her early teens."

"I didn't shag her!"

"Okay, she _experimented_ with her. But she grabbed her tits," Geri said, raising her eyebrows at Emma, nodding her head.

"Big deal. I've grabbed yours," Mel said, making herself more comfortable on her pillow.

"Not like that," Geri said.

"No, but you would like that, wouldn't ya?" Melanie said with a grin. "She would," she whispered in Emma's ear, pretending like Geri wouldn't be able to hear.

Geri raised her eyebrows at Emma teasingly, as if Mel was telling her the truth. The two of them always thought it was funny to make Emma feel uncomfortable.

Emma was getting less and less easy to impress, though. She was getting used to the two of them joking around like this. When you're living together with five girls and spent most of your time together, you grow comfortable with each other in almost every way. It didn't take long before they were leaving the toilet door open and shamelessly walked around the house naked. Except for Vicky, maybe. The prude.

Emma let out a short laugh. "Would the two of you like for me to leave the room?"

"Geri would," Melanie instantly said. "Just look at those longing eyes. She-"

BOOM. Geri had grabbed the pillow from underneath her in a quick motion and had punched Melanie in the face with it - hard. Emma shrieked in laughter. "You bitch! That actually hurts," Melanie said when the laughter had passed, rubbing her nose with the palm of her hand.

That same week, Melanie got her tongue pierced. She was walking down the streets of Maidenhead with Geri when a guy handed them an advertisement for it. "O my god! It's a sign!" Melanie shouted at Geri, stuffing the flyer in her face. "I've always wanted one! You know what? Let's do it right now."

Of course Geri didn't resist and hopped on this new adventure without doubting it for a second. She loved impulsive ideas, especially when Mel came up with them. Half an hour later Melanie was sitting in the chair with Geri alongside her as her tongue was getting inspected thoroughly.

"What's taking you so long? Can't you just jam it in?" Geri asked on Mel's behalf. Mel was so excited, yet impatient that she kept trying to speak with her tongue pulled out.

"I can't touch the nerve," the man explained, still fully focused on the tongue he was holding between his fingers. "Your tongue could go numb for the rest of your life if this goes wrong." He took one last glance before he let her tongue go.

Geri's eyes widened. "Oh, we can't have that," she said.

Melanie turned to face the tongue-inspector and smirked. "That would be her worst nightmare, you know," she said point-blanc.

Geri gave her a warning look as she bit down a grin. Yes, they had snogged a few more times, but she didn't have to shout it of the rooftops. Melanie laughed out loud when she saw Geri's face.

"Come on mate, just do it!" she then told the man, who was clearly hesitating. She wasn't asking. There was no way her tongue was not getting pierced today, whether the result was a paralyzed tongue or not.

So when they got home, her tongue was already swollen. Really, really swollen. It was almost frightening.

"Girls, look!" Mel mumbled when they walked into the front room.

"Mel got her tongue pierced!" Geri revealed.

Melanie stuck her tongue out. "See?"

Emma, Victoria and Melanie C looked up from the telly and stared at it.

"Jesus," Victoria said. Her expression was almost unreadable.

"Fuck sake, Melanie," Melanie C said. "Your tongue is bloody purple!"

Emma stood up and walked up to her to take a closer look. "That must have really hurt!" she said.

Melanie shrugged. "Only a little bit."

Geri laughed sarcastically. "A little bit? If you think her tongue's purple, you should see my bloody hand."

Melanie playfully pushed her out of her way and walked to the kitchen. "Do we have ice?" she shouted.

"She has to cool it," Geri explained when the other girls gave her a confused glance. "To stop it from swelling. The thing is _huge_," she hissed.

"GOT IT!"

Mel let herself fall on the couch and pressed the icepack against her tongue. Geri could swear she could see it throbbing.

"Move your leg," she told Melanie as she sat down on the floor between Mel's legs. There were no seats left, but she still had passed both Melanie C and Victoria before settling down on the ground.

"So, who wants to snog me first?" Melanie shouted. She grimaced when she removed the icepack. That shit was really cold, fuck.

"Uh, I'm not trying to choke," Victoria said dryly, which made Geri laugh.

"Mel, you should really get that swelling under control first. Could be dangerous otherwise." She wasn't even completely joking.

Melanie bend forward and squeezed Geri's upper arms, which were resting on her knees. "Ah come on! I won't see Tom for another week!" she said, pouting.

Geri felt two hands - one of which was extremely cold - grab her face to pull her head upwards. "Melanie!" she said, laughing, when she saw Mel's head appear upside down above her, surrounded by curls.

"Just one snog!" Mel demanded, keeping Geri's face in place on her lap, as she fought to get their lips together.

"Not before the swelling-"

Mel pressed her lips on Geri's mouth, muffling the sound of her voice and her laughter. She smirked against Geri's lips, but quickly realized that this wasn't going to work: there was no way she was going to get Geri to part her lips. A laugh escaped her own mouth when she released Geri's, but she was still holding onto her face and looked into her eyes as they both started laughing, making funny snorting noises along the way. In a reflex Mel gave Geri a quick peck on her lips, quickly followed by another one on her chin; then her nose, her cheek, her other cheek; she covered her face in kisses as Geri laughed hysterically, and then she let her go. While they both slowly recovered from laughter, they noticed that the other girls were looking at them in a bit of an odd way. The sudden outing of - well, what was it an outing of, that was their internal question - had kind of taken them by surprise. Mel and Geri never kissed each other on the mouths: that was something that Geri and Emma did, in a loving, sisterly way. But then again, they would often do unexpected things, so they didn't give it a second thought.

Mel didn't give up the following days. She was determined to test her new accessory, and since Tom - who she started seeing a few weeks ago - wasn't able to meet her until the weekend, she had set her mind on her housemates. She was persistent, but so was the swelling: it took a few days before her tongue was back to normal.

"Come on Geri, have a go with me," Mel said three days later when they were alone in their room, both slightly tipsy on wine. It was evening. "Aren't you curious what it feels like? I swear that it's not swollen anymore. Look," she said, showing her tongue to back her words up.

"Your tongue is red," Geri said with a giggle. She sat down on the bed and let herself fell backwards, her legs dangling. The wine had made her feel nice. A bit lazy.

"Is it?" Mel wondered. She looked in the mirror. "It's the wine. Show me yours then."

Geri had closed her eyes and didn't open them when she stuck her tongue out.

"Red," Mel stated. She lay down next to Geri. "They match."

"Hurry up before I fall asleep," Geri said with a sigh, pretending to be annoyed.

Melanie could hardly contain her excitement as she straddled Geri's lap. "Alright," she said, fully concentrated, as if the following event was going to be ground breaking. "Are you ready?"

Geri sat up and smirked. "Please, I was born ready."

Geri's eyes seemed even more blue up close. Her eyes were actually quite seductive. Ocean blue and - sometimes - outspoken. They were reflective of her thoughts and feelings, but only if you really paid attention and knew where to look. Mel cupped her face and leaned in, but it was Geri who suddenly pulled her face closer and kissed her lips. Mel's eyebrows shot up; she was surprised by her sudden impatience. They both inhaled deeply as their lips locked firmly. A short loss of contact, then they met again and opened their lips. Geri immediately noticed the metal bar when their tongues met. It was different. A funny, new feeling for both of them, which clearly demanded all their attention, because the kiss was almost mechanical. Technical.

Melanie broke the kiss. "And?" she asked.

Geri opened her eyes and was met by Melanie's gaze. Her eyes were hopeful, curious and impatiently waiting for her review. "I don't know, it's a funny feeling," Geri said.

Melanie opened her mouth, fully prepared to go against her, but was stopped when Geri unexpectedly shot forward to cover her mouth with hers again. Their lips united for two seconds before they started to move in perfect sync. It was different than before. Not as rushed, and the main focus had shifted from the metal bar to each other's warm mouths, the subtle taste of red wine, the smell of perfume and cigarette smoke. Gentle and heated, they inhaled each other, their fastening breaths mingling as their tongues became more demanding by the second. Geri's hands were resting below Mel's ears, but suddenly drifted to her hips, pulling her closer. Melanie pushed her down on the bed, gently, not once breaking the kiss, and they strangled each other, pulling each other closer until there was no space left between them. They could almost feel each other's hearts beating frantically, with their chests pressed together firmly, and it wasn't until that moment that Geri decided she liked Melanie's new accessory. Or maybe, she just liked Melanie. She inhaled sharply when she felt how Melanie pressed her thigh between her legs, and she almost automatically clutched her legs around hers, seeking more contact, deepening the kiss even more.

"Good night everyone!"

Geri pushed Melanie off of her with great strength when she heard Melanie C's voice in the hallway. "Good night Mel!" she shouted, a little too loud.

"And?" Melanie asked again, her breathes heavy and uncertain.

Geri looked to her side. "Better," she said with a short nod, her voice high-pitched, as if she hadn't just felt the urge to rip Mel's clothes off her body.

"Good," Melanie said, also with a nod.

"I'm going to brush my teeth."

"Yep."

"Alright."

Geri crawled from the bed and rushed to the bathroom, leaving a stunned Melanie behind.

What the fuck had just happened.

**Authors Note: Don't worry… The real smut will happen soon.**


	8. Close Enough

1995

They were like a fire in the darkness: the two of them together were eye-catching and impossible to miss. It wasn't just because of their appearance and their loudness, it was something else, a radiating energy that made their presence detectable as soon as they set foot in a room. Beautiful, and something people instinctively wanted to get closer to, but they often wouldn't.

There was something about fires. They had the potential to burn the entire place down. And with Mel and Geri, you never knew when they would flame up.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! WHY CAN'T YOU KEEP YOUR BLOODY MOUTH SHUT FOR ONCE!" Melanie roared.

Geri's eyes were pitch black. "I CAN'T SHUT UP? THAT'S FUNNY COMING FROM YOU."

That was the last sentence the other three girls were able to catch before their argument lost all content and substantiation and turned into a tornado of screeches and harsh insults. They were standing dangerously close to one another, their foreheads almost touching as they continued their battle on what seemed to be who was able to raise their voice the highest: something they were both quite talented in.

The other girls weren't even startled. They knew it would escalate to this extend from the moment Mel B and Geri started bickering. Emma and Victoria had therefore settled themselves on the floor of the studio and were now watching the explosive climax with blanc, unsurprised expressions on their faces, having learned months ago that it was best to just sit it out and wait. But Melanie C was over it and had now gotten herself in the middle of the two girls.

"HEY!" she shouted. "STOP IT!"

Mel B angrily slapped Melanie C's away. "Let me go!"

But Mel C didn't care. The shouting had stopped and that was a start. "This is ridiculous," she said, looking from left to right. "Can either of you even remember what this is about?"

"Oh, just sit down, Melanie," Geri said to her, unimpressed, but breathing heavily.

Mel B needed a second to catch her breath as well. "That comment was completely uncalled for," she spat at Geri, pointing her finger at her chest.

"Why are you so fucking bothered?" Geri asked annoyed. "You constantly talk shit about my dancing, you don't hear me crying about it. Stop being so bloody sensitive."

Mel B inhaled sharply. Stop being so sensitive? Now Geri was just flat-out trying to hurt her. "That's it," Mel stated. She was already heading for the door.

"Melanie!" Melanie C sighed in frustration, knowing that it wouldn't stop her from leaving.

"NO! SHE CAN FUCK OFF!"

"DON'T BOTHER COMING BACK!" Geri shouted, trying to sound unbothered, knowing that it would infuriate Mel even more.

Mel slammed the door behind her. Geri bowed and placed her hands on her knees, as if she had just finished a marathon.

"Great, Geri. This is just great," Victoria said blankly when Geri turned to look at them.

"Nicely done," Emma added, giving her a sarcastic thumbs up.

"It's not my fault! She IS being sensitive today!"

"Whatever," Melanie C said, not in the mood to argue about who had started this. "So who's going to get her?"

The four of them exchanged looks.

"I did it last time," Emma said innocently, sucking on her lollipop.

Victoria just shook her head. "I'm over this drama."

"You go out there and fix it then, Geri," Melanie C said, her tone almost threatening. "We have to finish this routine today!"

At first Geri refused, but after a few minutes she caved, even though it was just to put a stop to Melanie C's desperate rant about that they had to keep on track with their schedule. "Fine! Just shut up already!"

Melanie was sitting on the sidewalk of the road, next to Geri's Fiat Uno, when she heard the door open behind her. She rolled her eyes when she looked over her shoulder and saw Geri reluctantly walking in her direction across the parking lot.

"I knew you wouldn't walk home, you lazy cow."

"Piss off, Geri."

Geri exhaled, leaning against the hood of her car before looking down at Mel. "Look, we have to finish this routine. Get in here before Melanie starts crying."

Mel scoffed. "She'll cry anyway when she sees you dance," she said.

The quickness of that comment dragged a short chuckle out of Geri's mouth. It was a reflex. She shook her head and looked down at her feet as she internally told herself not to laugh.

Mel looked at her from behind her shades and smirked. She could follow Geri's train of thoughts effortlessly. But she was still pissed. It was just the way she was wired: when something was bothering her, she had to let it out, especially towards Geri. She just couldn't take her mind off of it without getting it out there first. And Geri knew that.

"Why do you always have to piss me off?" Mel asked in frustration. She lighted a fag. "I'm not sensitive," she added. It sounded like a warning.

"Because you push my buttons!" Geri said, not lying. "It's like you do it on purpose."

"You didn't seem to mind last week," Mel blurted out. Wow.

Geri's eyes grew wide in shock. This was the first time that one of them mentioned it. Until now, neither of them had acknowledged what had happened. Not with words, anyways. Had they looked at each other from across the room, both knowing that they shared something, something the others couldn't know about? Yes. Had they giggled after it had happened? Yes. But they hadn't talked about it.

"You're quick today," Geri said, trying to process her words.

"So were you last week."

Melanie was closely watching her reaction and couldn't help but let out an enormous laugh when she saw Geri's jaw drop, her eyes sparkling, until she finally started screaming with laughter. Soon they were hysterical and unable to stop. Melanie coughed as the smoke overwhelmed her throat. She gasped for air, only causing Geri to laugh even harder. It took a long time before they pulled themselves together. Still giggling and wiping their tears, Geri said: "Look, I'm sorry for what I said. But I wasn't having a laugh with you. Melanie will go mental if you don't come back in now."

Melanie reached for Geri's hand. "Pull me up." She wasn't asking. Geri grabbed both of her hands and did.

"I'm sorry too," Mel said with a grin when they were standing across from each other. "I'm sorry that you're so annoying."

Geri punched her in the arm.

"That hurts!" Mel shouted. "My throat also hurts," she said, rubbing her throat as they started to walk back to the studio.

"That's because you were screaming like a pig," Geri stated. Melanie lifted her arm, ready to give her a punch, but Geri had known that would be her reaction even before she did that and had already stormed off.

They came back in running, giggling and screaming. The other girls shook their heads at the sight.

"You guys are unbelievable," Emma said.

"Yeah yeah yeah, now GET IN POSITION BUNTON!"

At the end of the day, on their way back to the house, Mel couldn't shut up about how slow Geri had been with picking up the routine. And to be fair, Geri couldn't even blame her for criticizing her. She had been completely absent-minded during every step of the way. And even now, as she was driving, she was barely hearing what Mel was saying. Her mind kept drifting off to the comments Mel had made earlier, and as a result, she couldn't stop thinking about the evening they had referred to.

That particular Friday night, they had gotten in a fight before Mel left. A bad one. Looking back, it wasn't even about Tom. He was a nice person. Geri liked him. He seemed to treat Mel right and he made her happy - not in a deep, all satisfying way – but on a more superficial level, which seemed to be exactly what Melanie wanted. She didn't need a deep, all-consuming relationship. She needed a laugh, someone she could have a proper conversation with, and sex. Hot, steamy sex, preferably on one of the tables in Tom's small, Italian restaurant. And that's exactly what he gave her.

Tom wasn't the reason they clashed. It was the fact that Melanie hadn't told Geri that she would spend the night at his house that Friday evening. "Why didn't you tell me?" Geri had asked, just after they finished diner. The other girls had once again left to visit home, which meant that Geri would spend the evening alone. "What do you mean why didn't I tell you? I don't owe you an explanation." Melanie had shot at her. "If I had known you wouldn't be here, I would have made plans!" "You haven't seen your mom in weeks!"

The entire argument had been pointless. Melanie was right to a certain point, because Geri and her mom had been on pretty bad terms lately. Geri didn't seem to want to talk about the reason why, but Mel leaving or not would not have made a difference. She would have stayed home anyways. But Geri took offense to it. "It's not even about my mom! I could have met up with friends. It's not like I don't have anyone to hang out with besides you, Melanie." "No, I'm sure you have plenty of friends. That's why we've spent every single weekend together for the past two months." "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WANTS ME TO COME EVERYWHERE WITH YOU!"

Somewhere between 1:00 and 2:00 am that night, Geri woke up from the sound of the front door shutting close. She turned around to find Mel's silhouette in the doorframe of their bedroom a few seconds later.

"Geraldine, you're coming with me," Mel slurred.

Geri looked at her in disbelief. "No. I'm sleeping."

"Why are you talking to me then?"

"Why aren't you at Tom's?"

"He can piss off." Melanie switched on the light, revealing her slightly blurry brown eyes. She wasn't completely hammered, but she had definitely had a few drinks. She walked over to the bed and let herself fall next to Geri. "He was annoying me, so I left."

"You left him behind?"

"At the pub," Mel confirmed. "I walked all the way over here just to come and find you."

Geri rolled her eyes. "It's a 5-minute walk, Melanie."

"It's my way of saying sorry."

Geri let out a sigh and looked at her. The bloody idiot. "Well I'm not going to the pub. I can't be bothered."

"Come on, just put on an outfit!" Melanie begged.

"No."

"Fine." Melanie suddenly got up and started getting undressed. She grabbed her pajama's out of the drawer and put them on. "Let's head out like this then," she said, presenting herself by making a swirl.

"You want to go out in our pajama's?" Geri asked, trying to suppress a laugh.

"Why not? That way you don't have to change, and on top of that: they match. Come on!"

Geri hadn't been able to resist. Two hours – and a few tequila shots - later, they got back to the house. It had been a hysterical night. They were still laughing about it when they were getting ready to go to bed, still wearing their matching, striped pajama's. Even though Melanie drank more than Geri, it was Geri who was slightly struggling to keep her balance as she was wiping the make-up of her face.

"I'm glad I came back to get you," Melanie said when they finally crawled into bed. "It's no fun when you're not around."

"It was a good laugh," Geri agreed.

They turned on their sides to face each other.

"Why was Tom annoying you?" she then asked.

Mel sighed in annoyance. "He doesn't like my piercing. He said it was trashy. And he didn't like the way it felt."

Geri's eyes widened in pretended shock and disbelief. "What an unthankful fuck!"

Melanie shrugged. "You know what that means?"

"What?"

Mel's eyes twinkled in the redolent of the night lamp as she smirked, showing off her perfectly white teeth. "We will have to practice more, innit?"

Geri stared at her for a split second, not sure if she was being serious or not, before she let out a huge laugh. "You bloody lesbian."

Melanie chuckled, but that didn't mean she was joking around. Geri realized that as she registered how Mel's face was approaching hers. She was slowly, almost teasingly, moving closer, as if she was testing her. Was she going to pull away or not?

_Was she?_ Geri didn't know. She was still grinning, and she wanted to turn around and make a joke out of it, but for some reason, her eyes were fixated on Melanie's face – her perfectly smooth skin and her assessing gaze were getting closer by the second. For a split moment she thought that she would be able to break out of her freeze, but by then she already felt Mel's lips brush against her smile. It was too late. One last giggle escaped her mouth before their lips locked.

A chaos of thoughts ran through Geri's head as she gave in to Melanie's probing tongue, but the familiar scent and taste calmed her mind. Who cared, right? They had done this before. They were best friends and they were drunk. Alright, maybe not, but they were a bit tipsy. It was just for fun.

But the kiss grew bigger, more eager and intense by the second, making them twist and turn until Geri was laying on her back and Mel was lingering over her. Melanie moved a string of hair away and gave her a funny look, before she lowered her mouth. Geri's eyes widened when she felt her hot breath curl against the sensitive skin of her neck, just below her earlobe. "Melanie," she said with an unsure chuckle: she was suddenly questioning if they were still just fooling around as best friends. But Melanie ignored her and leaned in to caress her neck gently. Geri was holding on to her shoulders, slightly giving resistance, but as soon as Mel's plump lips imprinted her neck, she relaxed and her eyes shuttered close. As she felt Mel's tongue travel down her collar, she was extremely aware of her piercing: the feel of the metal bar against her skin made her shiver.

Melanie shifted and carefully placed herself on top of Geri: one leg slowly rubbed over Geri's thigh until it found its place in between her legs, without actually putting pressure. Geri's hips rose from the bed without her permission. She didn't know what was happening, but she was struck by a sudden curiosity and an intense feeling of arousal. Mel grinned when she registered the subtle movement below her, but she didn't lower herself to meet Geri's rolling hips. She continued her path down Geri's collarbone as her hands slipped under her T-shirt.

Geri was squirming under her touch. Mel's hands were roaming down her sides. She did her best to mask the feeling of lust that had taken her of guard, but her hands were uncontrollably exploring every inch of Mel's lean body. She pulled Mel's face up to kiss her and their lips slammed together, turning into a fiery and passionate open-mouthed kiss.

With a swift rush of need, Geri's hands suddenly moved from Melanie's hot cheeks and grabbed onto her hips, pulling her pelvis down in a quick, forceful movement. An involuntary sigh of relieve escaped her mouth when she finally felt Mel's lean thigh press against her crotch, and she helplessly squeezed her legs to intensify the tumultuous rush of sensations that ran through her core. She could feel Mel gasp for air in her mouth as she increased the pressure and they both started rocking. The pace of their breathing increased along with their rhythm. Hot, frantic breathes were exchanged as they clenched around each other's thighs, seeking more contact throughout the two thin layers of smooth silk of their pajama pants. The longing and desire for naked skin on skin contact was almost unbearable, but not as unbearable as the thought of having to break their rhythm. The feeling was too intense. It was a consuming wave of pleasure, which was still building up and getting stronger with every movement, every rub. Even if they wanted to: they simply couldn't stop moving.

Their lips disconnected. It was getting too intense. Geri opened her eyes. Melanie's face was wavering above hers, with brown, intense eyes that were darker than normal, filled with hurried eagerness. The shared air between them was thick and hot. Just when Geri thought the feeling couldn't grow any bigger, she saw Melanie's lips parting, fighting to keep silent, and she felt her body tense in its entirety on top of hers as her nails dug deep into her skin. It was the glimpse she had caught of Mel's expression, just before she hid her face in the crook of her neck, and the itch in her breathe that swept Geri into oblivion. The fire in her core exploded into a thousand pieces and every muscle in her body tensed as an overwhelming rush flooded through her body until it reached the tips of her toes.

"CHRIST, GERI!"

The shock in Mel's loud voice pulled her back to the present. Geri's eyes quickly registered what was happening, and the panic it caused made her push the brakes with such abruptness that both Geri and Mel's faces almost slammed against the window of the car.

"FOR FUCK SAKE!" Again, Mel.

They had almost crashed into another car.

"Fuck, that was close, wasn't it," Geri said when the realization kicked in. Three shocked pairs of eyes were staring at her in silence from the backseat.

Then she turned her head and looked at Melanie. Her eyes were burning with anger and panic had gathered in her eyebrows.

That face. No one else in this car, had seen that face like Geri had.


End file.
